Torn From the Present
by nikpik
Summary: Ryan Evans has grown up, and now has a beautiful daughter. Suddenly, her mother wants to take her away after 8 long years... how will Ryan cope without Lorraine, and how will Lorraine cope without Ryan?... suckish summary... really good story... please Re
1. Different

Torn From the Present

Lorraine Evans sat on her bed, staring at the wall. Her father, Ryan Evans, was at work, an acting studio located in downtown Alberquerque. Lorraine wasn't sure why, but she was feeling very unactive lately.

Suddenly, Lorriane heard the garage door open, and immediatly hopped out of her bed and rushed out of her room to greet her father.

She rushed up to Ryan, and said, " How was work?"

Ryan sighed, then said, " Much better than yesterday"

Lorraine chuckled, then said," What could be worse? I mean, you had two kids fall off the stage and one actually broke their ankle!"

"Thank you for making me re-live the moment" he said sarcastically.

"You're welcome!"

"So" Ryan said, plopping down on the sofa" How was volleyball practice?"

"Good, I finally mastered my overhand serve!"

"Great! Do you think you could help me make some signs for the studio?"

"Sure, what do they need to say?"

Ryan stood up, then walked over to his desk, which was in another room, then walked back and handed his daughter a few papers.

As Lorraine looked through the papers, she casually said, "So, heard from mom lately?"

Ryan looked up from the newspaper he was reading and said," What makes you think after 8 years she would call us?"

Lorraine shrugged, then looked back down at the pages she was going to color for her father to use.

It was a few minutes before Ryan said, " Do you want to go visit your aunt, uncle, and cousin tonight for dinner?"

"Sure, when do we have to leave?"

"Um..." he looked down at his watch, then said," In an hour and a half, is that enough time to get ready?"

"Yeah... I just have to get dressed and do my hair" she said, walking to her room so she could get ready. As she was looking through her closet, she thought, 'Dad looks so tired... I wonder what really happened today?' Ususally, her father was perky and fun when he got home from work, but today was different...

An hour later, Lorraine was at the kitchen table, dressed in a blue t-shirt, with a striped button-down shirt, and a pair of blue stretch jeans, coloring her father's banners. It was especially easy for her because she had synesthia, which is a condition which randomly connects two senses, making it easy for her to choose which color should go with each letter or number. That was one of the reasons why her father let her color his plans. The other reason was because the father and daughter had a very strong bond ever since Lorraine's mother, Kelsi Neilson, had walked out of their lives when Lorraine was four (she was twelve at the time).

Lorraine was deep in thought when her father walked in and looked over her shoulder at her work on his banner plans. "Good job, they look very colorful!" Causing his daughter to jump.

"Thanks, dad!"

"Are you ready to go, or do I have to carry you to the car?" he joked, starting to walk to the door.

"I think I can walk for myself, thank you" she said, standing up and scooting in her chair.

"Your aunt has something very important to tell you, you know" Ryan said, as he closed the door behing Lorraine.

"Really, and would you happen to know what that important something is?" Lorraine said, opening the door to her father's black Escalade and stepping into the car.

"No, she refused to tell me, so I guess you'll have to wait just like me."

As the black car pulled out of the driveway, Lorraine couldn't help thinking, ' I have the best dad ever'

**A/N: I know it's sort of cheesy and short, but it's a start, right? Anyway, I just thought of the idea like 10 minutes ago, and started to type away on my computer. LOL. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please tell me, and remember to review, it only takes a minute, and I really appreciate it!**


	2. Jealous

Torn from the Present

Jealous

Luke Bolton was staring out the window, waiting for his cousin, Lorraine Evans, to arrive at his house. He wasn't at all happy that she was coming; on the contrary, he was very upset. He didn't like Lorraine for many reasons, many of which were because she had many talents, unlike himself, whom only had one: writing. Well, he could throw a ball into a basket, but he wasn't a superstar or anything. He was good looking, though. He had his mother's blue eyes, and his father's complexion and sandy-blonde hair. As a Black Escalade pulled up into the driveway, Luke stood up and walked into the family room, where his parents and sister were watching TV.

"They're here" he announced, with no emotion in his voice whatsoever.

"Yay, Lorrie's here!" Maddie, Luke's little sister said, hopping up from the couch she was sitting in. Maddie was only 5 years old, seven years younger than both Luke and Lorraine. Luke was born two days after Lorraine, so she always reined over him as the 'older' of the two.

Troy stood up, followed by Sharpay, so the two could set the table for dinner.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Troy called out, "Come in!"

Ryan opened the door, and walked in, followed by Lorraine.

Once Lorraine saw her cousin, Luke, she said, "Hey Luke!"

He just looked at her for a second then mocked her by saying with a lot of fake joy, "Hi Lorrie! It's been too long, hasn't it? We should go to the mall and get our hair done and our nails painted, shouldn't we?"

Lorraine shot daggers at Luke and said coldly, "Oh, shut up."

"Be nice, Lorraine" Ryan sternly told his daughter.

"He started it" she mumbled, so no one could hear her.

"Lorrie!" Maddie said, running to Lorraine, who hugged her little cousin. Lorraine sure hoped that Maddie wouldn't turn out like Luke did: rude, annoying, and mean. It wasn't his parent's fault; Troy and Sharpay were quite nice in Lorraine's opinion.

"Hey" Sharpay said, walking into the room, "How's my favorite niece?"

"She's ok!" Lorraine responded.

"Then how's my big brother doing?" she said, facing Ryan, hoping for the same answer as Lorraine gave her.

"Um… ok… but can I talk to you in private for a minute or two, maybe after dinner?"

"…Sure…" what was worrying her brother so much that he couldn't talk to Lorraine about? Sharpay thought in worry. "Dinner should be ready in about a half and hour, so why don't you three go outside and do something?"

"Ok, mommy, c'mon Lorrie, follow me!" Maddie said, while pulling on Lorraine's arm. The two walked outside, followed by Luke, who went strait to the garage and brought out a kickball, then threw it at Lorraine, who saw it coming and bumped it back to him. Luke, who didn't at all expect this, spiked it back over to Lorraine, who set it back to him. This continued for a good 10 minutes, without the ball ever touching the ground, until Maddie, who was bored with watching the two, grabbed the ball in mid air, and kicked it across the yard.

"Maddie, what did you do that for?" Luke yelled.

"I was bored with watching you!" she replied. For a five- year old, Maddie had some spunk in her.

"C'mon, Luke, It's ok, she's only five!" Lorraine said, trying to calm down her cousin, who was apparently really mad for such a small mistake.

Luke was about to yell something, but was interrupted by his dad, Troy Bolton, who called to the three, "Dinner's ready!" then walked back inside the house, closing the door behind him.

Luke walked across the lawn, up the stairs, and into the house without another word. Maddie and Lorraine just looked at each other, shrugged, and walked into the house and into the kitchen.

Dinner was uneventful, as usual. Sharpay asked Lorraine how her volleyball league was going, or other things along that line. Ryan asked Luke and Maddie questions, and Troy asked Ryan questions. It was a very boring to Luke, who wasn't the least bit interested in how the dance studio was going, or how Lorraine's volleyball league was shaping up. Finally, halfway through dessert, Luke couldn't take it anymore, he burst out, "Who cares? I mean, only Uncle Ryan bothers to notice I'm even here! The only thing you care about is Lorraine and how _her_ life is going!"

Troy didn't like what Luke was saying, so he said, "Lucas Jared Bolton, what did your mother and I tell you about yelling in the house?"

"Not to do it…" Luke mumbled to his father.

"Exactly, so you will apologize and then go up to your room for the rest of the night, understand?"

"Sure..." he mumbled, as he trudged up the stairs.

"So..." Sharpay said, trying to lighted the mood, "Do you want to hear my big news?"

"Shoot" Lorraine said, pushing away her now empty plate.

"Well... I think you and I need to spend some more time together, so I'm officially inviting you to spend a month with me in our condo down in Florida. Will you come?"

Lorraine was speechless. It would be a really cool expierience, true, but...

"She can't go." Ryan said suddenly.

"Why not, it's not like she is doing anything else over her summer break"

"Shar, let me talk to you out in the hall for a second, ok?" Ryan said, standing up and walking towards the hallway. He was immediatly followed by a very confused Sharpay, who was starting to get annoyed by her twin brother.

When they got down further down the hallway, where no one could hear them, Ryan sighed, then said, " Kelsey wants to take Lorraine for two months."

"No... she can't...can she?" Sharpay stuttered. After 8 years of no contact, Kelsey suddenly wanted to take away Ryan's daughter; his pride and joy? **(Really geeky, I know, but that's all I could think of!) **

"Yes, she can, and I agreed."

**A/N: Oooh, cliffy! I'm soo evil, mwahahaha! What do you think will happen to Lorraine? And what do you think of Luke and Maddie? Please Review, I really appreciate it!**


	3. An Idea

Torn From the Present

Chapter 3: An Idea

Later that night, when Lorraine and her father were driving home from the Bolton's house, Ryan had a magnificent idea.

As they were driving down an old country road, about 10 minutes from their house, Ryan asked, " Do you want to go to work with me tomorrow?" While looking at his daughter, who was staring out the window into the sunset.

"Isn't tomorrow a school day?" She asked, not taking her blue eyes off of the magnificent sunset.

"No... didn't your teachers tell you that it was a 'Teacher Enhancement day' and there wouldn't be any school?" He was surprised that the teachers didn't inform the stundents about this... maybe they didn't want them too excited to because they wouldn't pay attention during class?

"Why are the students always the last to know this!" Lorraine asked, finally taking her eyes off of the sunset, which was almost completely set. She now turned her attention to the road, determined not to look at her father, just incase he was mad at her for some reason. _But then he wouldn't have asked me to come to his work with him... what's going on?_

"So do you want to?" Ryan asked his daughter, hoping that she would. He would need all the help he could get to train the little kids that were in his class tomorrow... beginnners... the worst.

"Eh. Sure... I have nothing else to do... can I help you teach the... beginners?" She asked, raising her eyebrow. She knew that the beginners were always the hardest to teach... especially the 5-7 year olds.

"Please! I even asked Sharpay to help me... I thought we would show them one of our old routines from High School... " he said, his thoughts trailing to an end.

"Now don't make them too confused... do something simple... hm..." Lorraine said, lecturing her father on how to teach. She loved doing that.

"Don't worry... we won't... try to" he said, smiling. "I was thinking of doing ' What I've Been Looking For'... but does that seem too complicated? I mean, I don't think their little brains could take more than the 'Hokey Pokey' or ' The Chicken Dance'..."

Lorraine laughed. Maybe she was wrong... maybe nothing was wrong...

They arrived at their house 10 minutes later. Lorraine was very tired, after all, having to deal with Luke and Maddie was alot of hard work. "I'm gonna take a shower..." she said absentmindedly. She wandered into her room and turned on the shower.

Meanwhile, Ryan sat at the kitchen table, looking at the posters that littered it. They were really good... How could a 12 year-old manage this? _I can barely manage this! _Ryan thought. He sighed, took out his breifcase, and started to make a lesson plan for the next day. He looked at the letter that Kelsi had sent to his office, it read:

_Dear Ryan,_

_I'm so sorry that I haven't been in touch. I've been quite busy, writing scripts for upcoming musicals at the University of Louisville,where I work . Well, I hope you and Lorraine are doing fine. Speaking of Lorraine, I'd like a favor. I'd really appreciate it if I could take Lorraine off of your hands for 2 months to come and see me. I could show her around town and get to know her. I think that this is the least I could do after not seeing her for 8 long years. By the way. I got married shortly after we divorced. To Jason Cross, who is on the UofL basketball team. That's actually where I met him. We dated for a while, then got married. We have twins. A girl and a boy. They are each 5 years old... I think Lorraine would like to meet them. Please respond soon. I could take her over her summer break... Or maybe only 1 month... I'd just like to see her again. Please talk to her about it, I'd really appreciate it._

_-Kelsi Cross_

Ryan knew that he would have to tell Lorraine soon. There was only 3 short weeks until school let out for 21/2 months. _I'll tell her tomorrow... after we go to the studio._

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The Next Morning, 6 am

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"C'mon Lorraine! We have to get ready!" Ryan said, shaking his daughter. Her sandy brown hair was pulled up in a pony tail. "Ok... I'll have to do this the hard way..." He said, walking over to the boombox sitting on her dresser. He went to track 7, which was ' Bring 'Em Out' by Hawk Nelson. He turned the volume up to max, and sat down on her chair, that was conviently for him, placed next to the dresser. 5, 4,3,2,1...

"Turn it off!" She yelled, trying to cover her ears with the pillow that her head was previously resting on.

"Not until you're out of bed!" he yelled over the music blaring out of the speakers.

"Ugh!" She grudgingly climbed out of the bed, walked to the dresser, and pressed the 'OFF' button. She then looked out of the window. It was still dark. "I'd rather be woken up _after_ the sun rises, if you don't mind."

He smiled. "I'm gonna go get breakfast ready... be out in... 10 minutes" he said, standing up and walking out of the room.

Lorraine put on jeans, an orange t-shirt, and a l.e.i hat. She had inherited her love of hats from her dad, who still wore them occasionaly, since there wasn't much of a dress code... and he could wear what he wanted since he owned the business in the first place. She bounded down the hall, excited about joining her dad at work.

"Look who's excited now," Ryan said, setting down a bowl of cereal in front of Lorraine's chair, and one for himself. The two sat down, and started their breakfast.

As soon as they were done, the two took their bowls to the sink, washed them out, and walked to the truck. "When is Aunt Sharpay going to be there?" Lorraine asked, when the truck pulled out of the driveway.

"Knowing her, probably ten minutes before we get there."

And sure enough, when they got to the studio, Lorraine could see Sharpay's car in the parking lot. Ryan pulled up next to it and the two got out of the car. They walked to the front door, and Ryan pulled out his key. He stuck it in the keyhole and pulled on the door. But to his dismay, he found that it was locked.

"Um... I think Aunt Sharpay unlocked the door already." Lorraine said.

"Ya think?" Ryan said playfully. He once again put the key in the lock, turned it, and this time, the door opened. He held the door open for Lorraine, and then walked in. All the lights were turned on, and music was playing in the background. "Um... Shar?" Ryan asked. He walked into the first dance room, which was the biggest. Sharpay was in there, practicing an old routine of some sort.

Sharpay looked up. "Oh, hi Ryan, hi Lorraine!". She turned the music off, and walked to the doorway where the father and daughter were standing.

The two smiled. Ryan smiled like usual, but the shy smile from Lorraine was unusual. "Lorraine, you hang around your dad too much. You're starting to pick up his habits!"

"Is that a bad thing?" Ryan asked, pretending to be hurt.

Both Sharpay and Lorraine laughed. "When do classes start?" Lorraine asked, very anxious to teach.

"Anxious much? Um... The first class is in ten minutes... will you stretch them out please?" Sharpay said. "And I need to talk to Ryan for a minute... About the class" She gave him a strange look.

"Uh... sure..." Ryan said, looking confused. He followed Sharpay into his office, and sat down at his desk. It wasn't every day that he could show off his lifestyle infront of his sister.

Sharpay sat in one of the two chairs in front of the desk... _these are nice..._ she thought, enjoying the comfort of the black leather chairs. "Ok... have you told Lorraine about what Kelsi wants?" She said, getting down to business.

Ryan stayed silent. He really didn't want to answer that question. "Um... no, but I will later tonight." He said simply.

Sharpay sighed. "How long does she want to see her again?"

"Um... she prefered two months, but she said that any amount of time will do." Ryan replied. He looked very uncomfortable, and wiggled around in his seat, despite how comfortable they were.

" Ryan, the first thing, how long are you going to let her see Lorraine?" She asked. She looked dead serious... well, this was a serious matter.

" I was thinking a month and a half... I mean, she hasn't seen her for eight years!" Ryan said, his voice a little stronger than when the two started the conversation.

Sharpay sighed again. " How about just a month? I mean, she did walk out on you to begin with... it is her responsibility to take the consequences that come with that." Sharpay stated.

"Are you a lawyer or something? I mean, you seem so... different. Not that that's a problem or anything." he added hastily. "I'm gonna ask Lorraine what she wants"

And at that very moment, Lorraine herself came up to the door, then heard her name. She stopped. It wasn't like her to spy, but she was a twelve year-old girl, after all.

" She might not want to see her at all though! I mean, isn't she mad that Kelsi walked out on you when she was four, and now, she just wants to take her away from a month! She can't just rewind and playback, you know." Sharpay said, standing up, unaware that Lorraine was at the door. Lorraine's blonde hair was in her face, but she didn't care.

"I promise, Shar, I'll tell her tonight. I don't want to keep this from her, It's killing me to keep it from her this long. Oh, and guess who's she's married to now?" Ryan said, on the verge of tears.

"Who?" Sharpay said bitterly.

"Jason Cross... so she's Kelsi Cross now, not Evans, or Neilson..." Ryan said.

Lorraine couldn't take anymore... her mom had married another man? After leaving her dad and her? She just didn't understand...

Lorraine sat down; her back to the door. She wasn' t crying, but she was sad... her aqua blue eyes were wet with tears, but the tears weren't yet running down her cheeks.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Lorraine was pushed foreward, lower on the ground.

"Oh... Lorraine!" Ryan said. He noticed how sad his only daughter looked. She must have heard. "Did you...hear?" He asked timidly. He bent down to where Lorraine was.

She only nodded sadly.

**A/N: Well... alot happened there... in so little time... strange. Hm... I'm sooo sorry that I haven't updated... any of my stories... I'm trying to work on ' Second Chances' It's a Drake and Josh story. And i'm having writer's block... and i've just discovered AIM... so you can imagine... and i've been reading more than writing... And I've picked up playing the guitar, and I'm still playing the piano, so I haven't had much time... Oh, and about Kelsi working at UofL... it's the University of Louisville... in Kentucky, and It's the one that I'm used to, I've been there alot so it's really local and I know alot of places there... and how long do you think she should stay? Let me tell you that she WILL be going, but in any case, I'm having you vote! And I always appreciate reviews... LOL.**

**So, vote:**

**A) Lorraine stays for 2 months**

**B)Lorraine stays for One and a half months**

**C)Lorraine stays for One month**

**Please vote!**


	4. Understanding the Truth

Torn From the Present

A/N:**Thank you soo much for reviewing! I love that you all care about my story and enjoy reading! I'm still putting how long Lorraine will stay at her mother's house in the air... so it's your decision...! Here's the story!**

Chapter 4: Understanding the Truth

_She nodded slowly._

Ryan didn't expect this. He wasn't mad... he was ashamed. He didn't want Lorraine to find out this way. He wanted her to be let to this slowly... so much for that. "Ok... the students are here... why don't we talk about this later, ok?" he asked her.

Lorraine looked up. She understood. There was a time for everything, and this wasn't the time for this. "Ok." She stood up, and smiled at her dad. The two (Sharpay had left the two and went to tend to the kids) walked to the dance room, prepared to teach.

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After Work

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"That was fun" Lorraine said, walking out of the studio with her father.

"I'm glad you had a good time... now let's get home" he said, smile plastered on his face.

The two climbed in the car, and made their way home. Nothing whatsoever happened on the way home... Lorraine had completely forgotten about the 'incident' that morning... to Ryan's enjoyment.

The two arrived home, and Lorraine immediatly collapsed on the couch. "I don't see how you do that every morning..." she said, her eyes closed.

Ryan chuckled, then sat down on the couch himself. "I thought you loved the theatre?"

"I do, but that doesn't mean I do it all the time... like you do"

The kid had a good point.

There was silence that unnerved Ryan. He had to break it.

"Um... about earlier...?" He said nervously.

"What about earlier?" She asked. She didn't seem fazed... at all. That made Ryan even more nervous- if that was possible. "Oh... you mean... about mom...?"

"Yeah..." he said. "She wants to take you for... a certain amount of time... to Kentucky where she lives..."

Lorraine raised an eyebrow. "She lives in Kentucky?"

"Yeah... and she's married again."

"Really? Interesting. Do you know him?" Lorraine asked, looking at Ryan with intrest.

"Yeah. He was friends with me and your Aunt and Uncle in High School. He was on the basketball team with your Uncle, actually."

"How could she do that?" Lorraine said, sitting further up on the couch. " I mean, how could she just pretend we don't exist for 8 years! Then she went off and married another man! Then she wants to suddenly be a part of my life! I'm not going!" she said in an outburst.

Ryan sighed. He knew this was going to be coming sometime in this conversation... it might as well be now. "There's something you have to understand about this..." he sighed again before saying, " When your mother left, she said she was moving away to start a new life... and she apparanty forgot about the 'old life'... meaning us too. That's when I started the studio... I did use some money from child support, but most of the funds came from the office that I worked at. And do you remember living with your Aunt and Uncle for awile? That was right after your mother left... it was just a week before I found an apartment. Then, after the studio started up, we moved into this house... anyway, your mom says that there are alot of sights to see in Louisville. You should have fun... and did I mention that you have a half brother and a half sister? They are twins... like Sharpay and I. You'll get to know them better when _you go this summer after school ends._" he said, emphasizing the ' when you go this summer'.

"Do I have to?" she moaned. She really didn't want to go, apparantly.

"Yes, you do. Now get to bed... it's really late." he added, ending the discussion.

"Ok... goodnight... can I watch a movie? While I'm in bed, I mean?" she asked. Usually, she couldn't stand anything on while she tried to get to bed, but she needed something to get her mind off of the subject at hand.

"Sure... i'll be in later. I'm just gonna watch some TV..."

Lorraine walked in her room. She turned to the bookshelf, and knelt down to the bottom shelf, which held all of her movies. She fingered through them, and decided on 'Rent'. It was one of her favorite musicals, so she plugged in the DVD.

While the movie was running, she thought of her mom, step-father, and half-siblings... _wait... watch the movie, don't think about this!_

Lorraine turned her attention to the movie... it was at one of her favorite parts:

_How do you document real life_

_When real life is getting more like fiction_

_Each day?_

_Head lines and bread-lines blow my mind_

_And now this deadline eviction nor pay_

_RENT_

_How do you write a song _

_When the chords sound wrong_

_Though they once sounded right and rare_

_When the notes are sour_

_Where is the power you once had to ignite the air?_

_We're hungry and frozen_

_Some life we have chosen..._

"Ah... RENT?" someone said from the doorway.

Lorraine turned. It was her dad, he looked really tired.

"Yeah... it's one of my favorites." she replied.

"Mine too. I remember watching it with Sharpay every weekend, along with alot of other musicals... like _Footloose, Flashdance, West Side Story, _and _Grease_"

"I like all of those too" she said indignantly.

"As do I" Ryan replied. "You should go to bed soon... school tomorrow."

"Ugh" she replied.

"Just get some sleep" he said, walking out of the room and into his room. Just as he got into bed, turned off the light, and got comfortable, the phone rang. He groaned, and picked it up.

"Hello?"

**A/N: Hehe... Cliffy. I love those... and I just saw 'RENT' yesterday, and I loved it. I also saw, 'Footloose' which is really amazing as well... i'm just now getting into all those musicals... West Side Story and Grease are next. Well, Please Review... I really love getting to sleep at night with a smile on my face because I know I have people that love my stories... hehe... : ) I just love getting reviews... can we try for 15? That would be the most i've EVER gotten for one story! Thank you for reading! Well, I'll shut up, so you can push that button on the left that says 'GO'... **


	5. Midnight Callers

Torn From the Present

Chapter 5: Midnight Callers

_"Hello?"_

"Hey, Ryan, man!" An excited voice asked.

"Um...not to be rude, but who is this?" Ryan asked.

"Oh... this is Chad Danforth... from High School?" Chad said, getting more nervous.

"Oh... hey Chad. Um... do you realize it's like..." he looked at the clock " midnight?"

"Oh... sorry about that. I live in New York now, and there's like a 4 or 5 hour time difference."

"Eh... that's ok." Ryan said, sitting up in bed. "I'm not doing anything important now anyway..."

"Oh... cool. I was thinking about getting everyone together... the gang, you know? In a place where everyone could meet... like Kansas or something. Since Taylor and I live in New York, Kelsi and Jason live in Kentucky, Zeke lives in Florida, and you, Sharpay, and Troy still live in Alberquerque. I was thinking of doing it this summer... like the end of summer. How does that sound?"

Ryan was only half listening. "Why don't we do it in Kentucky, because Lorraine, my daughter, is going to see her mom, Kelsi, this summer too. I could just meet them... and it'll be easier for you, Taylor, and Zeke, anyway."

"Cool... I'll call Kelsi and ask her... and what do you mean, your daughter is going to see her mom?" apparantly realization hit him a few seconds later, " You and Kelsi were married? You had a daughter?"

"Yeah" he relpied.

"You've got to be kidding me! Taylor and I had a boy... he's 13... how old is your daughter?" he asked.

"She's 12. Look, i'll call you later. It's really late and i'm tired... do you mind?" Ryan asked, _very_ tired.

"Yeah, sure... i'll call you around... 6 o'clock your time?"

"Sure... bye." Ryan said, hanging up.

He got comfortable again, and was almost asleep, when yet again, the phone rang. Ryan groaned. _Who is calling me at this time of night? Again? _He thought. Chad was an exception... he hadn't talked to him for... 14 years. He turned over, and picked up the phone.

"What?" he asked.

"Um... Ryan?" a nervous voice asked.

"What?" he repeated. "Who is this?"

"It's... Kelsi... I was wondering if you had asked Lorraine about... you know...?"

"I haven't asked her yet. I'll call when she does. Goodnight." he said, hanging up.

Just as he turned over, the phone rang yet again. "WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?" he yelled into the reciever.

"Um... Ryan? It's me... Gabriella... I wanted to ask you where you lived...?" she asked nervously.

"Oh... sorry... I'm just really... nevermind. Where do you live?" he asked.

"I live in North Carolina... where did you live again?" she asked.

"North Carolina! Wow... that's far... I still live in Alberquerque... how did you end up there?" Ryan asked, sitting up.

"I don't know... I've just ended up there." she said.

"Um... It's really late here... and i'd like to get at least 5 hours of sleep..."

"Oh! I'm so sorry... I forgot about the time change! I'll call you later... say, 6 o'clock your time?"

"Um... I'm gonna be on the phone with Chad then... how about you call around 7:30, my time?" he asked.

"Yeah... good night!" she said, hanging up.

Finally... Ryan said to himself. He turned around in bed, and finally fell asleep.

**A/N: I'm sorry it's so short, but that's really all I needed to put in there... and once again, please vote... but now i'm asking for ideas. Any ideas at all will probably be used... and i'll make sure to put that you helped with this chapter... thanks for reading!**


	6. Mornings

Torn From the Present

**A/N: Hey people! How do you like this story so far? I changed the summary, because it's mostly about Lorraine and Ryan. The very first part of this chapter is Lorraine writing in her Diary, so it's going to be in bold... i think that that's it. I hope you like it!**

Chapter 6: Mornings

**Dear Diary,**

**OMG! I HAVE TO GO TO LIVE WITH MY MOM! That's soo not fair! Ok... i'm calmed down now... sigh It's not like I have to choose. Dad is making me. Well... I think mom is making dad make me. Lol... that's so confusing. Mom is now married again... how rude! The phone just rang... how strange... it's... 11:46. Ok... it stopped. Dad must have got it. Like I would answer it anyway. JEEZE! The phone rang again! Who in their right mind would call us at... 11:54? I mean... really! I have school again tomorrow. Ick. As long as I have Sam and Alex... Schedules changes yesterday, and now I have all my classes with Luke and his friend... what's-his-name... um... Kevin. Well... the phone finally stop-- UGH! It's ringing again! Now it's ... 12:14... I give up thinking why someone would call us now... yawn... ok, I'm going to sleep...**

**Your's Truly,**

**Lorraine Evans**

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**Next Morning, Kitchen**

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"Hey dad" Lorraine said, walking into the kitchen. She could smell bacon cooking on the stove... yum. "Who called last night? The phone must have rang at least 3 times..."

"Oh... Chad called... he wants to get everyone together for a 'High School Reunion' thing. We're going to have it in Kentucky, I think... " he said, trying to remember what Chad said. "After you meet with your mom, I know."

"Sound fun..." Lorraine said sarcasticaly.

"Chad has a son... he's 13..." Ryan said, trying to tempt her.

"So?" she said, getting some bacon that was now on plates, courtesy of Ryan.

"I dunno... Hey... we'd had better get going, school starts soon."

"Ok." She said, climbing into the car.

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Same Morning, Bolton Residence

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"MOMMY! LUKE IS BEING MEAN!" Maddie yelled, signaling Sharpay to scold Luke, who was nowhere in sight.

"Where is he, Maddie?" she asked, completely dumbfounded at how Luke could be mean to Maddie, if he wasn't even there.

"I don't know... I just heard a noise, and I thought it was Luke." she replied.

"... Ok, Maddie, if you're not sure what's making the noise, don't assume that it was your brother, ok?" Sharpay asked, remaining calm.

"Ok." she replied sweetly.

Maddie reminded Sharpay of herself at that age. She even was a drama queen... and she already loves acting, which isn't a bad thing. Sharpay reminded herself.

"Now get dressed and be ready to leave..." she said, walking out of Maddie's room and into Luke's. He was sitting on his bed, writing. That was pretty much the only think that Luke actually liked to do. "Hey..."

He looked up, set down his pencil, put the journal into the messanger bag that was also on the bed, and said, " Hey Mom... i'm ready to go."

He picked up his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and walked out of the room and to the kitchen. Luke Bolton was always tired in the morning. That meant he was always quiet in the morning, and Sharpay didn't have to deal with the noise until she came home from work... or until Luke came to High School in two years.

Sharpay worked at East High as the new Drama Teacher. Mrs. Darbus had retired a few years after ' the gang' had graduated, opening the post up.

"Ready? Where's Maddie?" Sharpay asked, grabing the keys to the car.

"I'm here!" she said, running down the stairs. Luckily, she didn't fall, if she did, that would have delayed them by at least five minutes or so.

"Ok... let's go!"

**A/N: SOOO sorry that it was sooo short, but I couldn' t think of anything else... (COUGH ...ideas... COUGH) LOL! I'm still thinking... I hope you like that I put in some of the Bolton's... I'm hoping to do other families too... Ok... PLEASE REVIEW! I'll give you... virtual cookies! Everyone loves virtual cookies! They taste so... yummy! Ok... Please Review!**


	7. Truce?

Torn From the Present

Chapter 7: Truce...?

Luke Bolton absentmindedly wandered through the halls of East Middle School, looking down at his new schedule. It read:

1-Science- 207

2-Math-204

3-L.A.-201

4- Ad. Writing-301

5-Drama-102

6-Geography- 206

7- World History-205

8-Study Hall- 203

How was he supposed to get to each room? Second floor, second floor, second floor, third floor, first floor, Lunch (first floor), second floor, second floor, second floor. He only had four minutes between each class as well! At least he know where hte science room was...

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Lorraine's POV

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Lorraine sat in her first period class, science, writing what would be a letter, to her pen pal. Her dad didn't know his last name, Danforth. His first name was James, and he was from New York!

As the bell rang, Lorriane finished her letter, stood up, and walked to the front of the classroom. She looked at her schedule, which was resting ontop of her binder. Her next class was math, in room 204, and unfortunately for her, she had it with Luke.

As usual, Lorraine's class had to wait outside the classroom as the previous class exited. While this happened, Lorraine looked through her letter, making sure that she said all that she wanted. Through the corner of her eye, she saw that the line had moved, so she walked a few steps foreward, which was a mistake. She had run into the person standing in front of her. He turned around. Lorraine was instantly relieved when she saw that it was Luke.

"Oh, sorry Luke" she said.

"What was that for? Not satisfied that you embarrassed me in front of my whole family?"

_Oh, great. He's making a scene of it. Just perfect. _Lorraine thought sarcastically.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to 'embarrass' you the other night, and I'm sorry for not paying attention and bumping into you. Ok?" she said, walking into the classroom.

Lorraine suddenly felt something grab her shoulder. She turned to see that Luke had grabbed her.

"Come here." he said, pulling her aside.

"What do you want with me?"

" I want to propose a truce between us. I mean, this fighting is getting us nowhere... am I right?" he said quickly.

"I guess..." she looked at her watch" I'll consider it, bet we'd better get to class; the bell rings in 10 seconds."

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8th Period, Study Hall

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Lorraine was reading a note Luke passed to her, while the rest of the class was reading 'Sounder'.

_Lorraine,_

_Can you please hurry up? I'd really like to know soon. Can you tell me when the bell rings? Meet me... outside the math room... ok?_

_Luke Bolton_

Typical Luke... Lorraine thought. She scribbled down a response (Sure, why not?).

Then, suddenly, the classroom PA came on. "Mrs. Russ? Lorraine Evans is to ride home with Luke Bolton."

"Thank you!"Mrs. Russ called.

Lorraine shot a quizzical look in Luke's direction. He just shrugged.

As the bell rang, Lorraine glared at Luke, who was walking towards her. He ignored her glares, and grabbed her wrist, pulling her towards the car rider line.

"Stop glaring at me! I didn't have anything to do with this!"

"Ok..."

** A/N: Ok. I didn't like this chapter at all. It was suckish. But I have an amazing idea, I just need to put it in action. (Which is harder than it looks) Please review! I'd really appreciate it! And any ideas are welcome. I'm gonna put some Chad, Taylor, and Sharpay in the next chapter, meaning it's probably going to be from their POV... ok, I'll shut up so you can review...**

**Fangirl44, thank you SO much for reviewing!**

**Tintin Thunderbirds Are Go, Fangirl44, and you-r-mine-4ever, thank you for voting!**


	8. Author's Note

**Sorry to my readers, but I have had an imense case of writers block with this story. I really didn't have much clue where I was going with it in the first place, but may make spontanious updates if I somehow manage to overcome the writers block. I did, however, get another fanfiction idea which will be posted simutaneously after this. I really am sorry, and if anyone has ANY ideas whatsoever, review to this author's note and tell me them. Again, if you would like this to continue, please contribute something. I'd really, really appreciate it.**

**-nikpik**


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